Motorized outrigger or antenna holder



y 4, was R. w. SAWYER 3,382,950

MOTORIZED OUTRIGGER OR ANTENNA HOLDER Filed March 1, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet.

INVENTOR ROBERT W. SAWYER May 14, 1968 R. w. SAWYER 3,382,950

MOTORIZED OUTRIGGER OR ANTENNA HOLDER Filed March 1, 1966 Sheets-Sheet 2 38' 37 h F|G.6 b

INVENTOR ROBERT W. SAWYER United States Patent 3,382,950 MOTORIZED OUTRIGGER 0R ANTENNA HOLDER Robert W. Sawyer, 1013 Guava Isle, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 33315 Filed Mar. 1, 1966, Ser. No. 530,952 5 Claims. (Cl. 185-47) ABSTRACT or frnn DISCLOSURE A motorized outrigger or antenna holder with an auxiliary mechanical means for automatically adjusting the amount of load on the motor so that the load at any one time is practically the same along the entire path of travel.

This invention relates in general to a holder for an outrigger or an antenna on a boat and in more particularity to a motorized holder therefor.

In the sport of deep sea fishing, it is common practice .to hold trolling lines at an elevated position relative to the boat by means of Outriggers which are merely small auxiliary booms or masts extending upwardly and outwardly from the boat itself. These Outriggers are held in position by means of outrigger holders which are attached to the cabin or deck of the boat at any desired location.

The outrigger holder itself is usually a short socketed member into which the outrigger fits.

Since it is desirable that the outriggers themselves be held at different positions relative to the boat in order to provide the fisherman with a wide degree of flexibility in the positioning of his lines relative to the boat, the outrigger holders must be made movable in relation to the device which attaches them to the boat itself.

This is also true of antenna holders for boats. They too are usually socketed devices into which the antenna fits with the holder being made movable relative to the boat attaching means in order to permit the antenna to be moved, for example, to be lowered when the boat passes under a low bridge.

Heretofore the holders have been made in such a manner that the fiisherman or boat crewman has to move the position of the holder by hand from one position to another with a limited number of different settings available. This is disadvantageous in that the person adjusting the outrigger or antenna holders must leave the cabin of the boat, adjust the devices and then return to the cabin. Further, if the new position is not exactly the position desired, then the same routine must be repeated.

There have been motorized outrigger or antenna holders on the market heretofore, but none has been entirely satisfactory. Simply connecting a motor to the holder is not the answer due to the fact that the load on the motor is not constant.

Assuming the outriggers are in an upright position and a motor is directly connected to the holder, as the holder is lowered the load increases due to the fact that the moment arm of the center of gravity moves outwardly from the pivot point of the arm. As the length of the moment arm of the center of gravity increases, the weight becomes heavier and aids or adds to the speed of the lowering of the holder. By the time the holder is all the way down to its lowermost position, it is travelling at such a high rate of speed that it is difiicult to stop it.

When the holder is reversed for the travel from a downward position to a raised position, the load on the motor is so great that unless the motor is unreasonably large, it will not lift the outrigger and holder. Assuming it is strong enough to lift it up, then once it has travelled upwardly far enough to shorten the length of the moment arm of the center of gravity, the load will lighten and the motor will then speed up again. By the time it has reached the uppermost position, it will be travelling at such a rate of speed that it is difiicult to stop.

If the change in speed in either lowering or raising is attempted to be compensated for by slowing down or speeding up the motor, then a whipping action or waving action is started with the outrigger bouncing back and forth. The whipping action will increase in force with each pass back and forth until a force, great enough in some instances to break the outrigger holder, will result.

If a strong enough motor is used to adequately carry all of the load which will be placed on it, then the problem of whipping is established when the motor is turned on. The motor will cause the outrigger to be snatched from its resting position to a position beyond the ordinary path of travel and start the same whipping motion described above. The whipping will increase as it travels downwardly until it is whipping violently before it gets all the Way down.

It is the primary object of my invention to provide a motorized outrigger or antenna holder which has an auxiliary mechanical means of automatically adjusting the amount of load on the motor so that the load at any one time is practically the same.

It is a further object of my invention to provide an outrigger or antenna holder which will provide a constant smooth movement of the holder in all positions in raising or lowering it.

A still further object of my invention is to provide an outrigger or antenna holder which may be remotely operated from the cabin of the boat so that the Outriggers and/or antenna may be moved without the operator leaving the cabin.

A further object of my invention is to provide an outrigger or antenna holder which may be interchangeable for Outriggers and antennas so that the boat owner may use the holder for either purpose or both purposes.

An even further object of my invention is to provide a holder for Outriggers or antennas which provides precise control of the movement of the held object so as to provide an infinite number of positions into which the held object may be placed.

A further object of my invention is to provide a motorized holder for Outriggers or antennas which utilizes a mass-produced, readily-available motor which may be used to easily replace a worn-out motor.

A further object of the invention is to provide a motorized outrigger or antenna holder which is sturdy in construction, relatively small in size, light in weight, economical in price, and relatively simple to manufacture.

Further features, objects, and advantages will either be specifically pointed out or become apparent when, for a better understanding of the invention, reference is made to the following written description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of a boat showing an outrigger placed on the boat with an outrigger holder according to my invention;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view of the holder operating means;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially on the lines 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on the lines 4-4 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially on the lines 5-5 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 6 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially on the lines 6-6 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 7 is a view illustrating the movement of the holder arm;

FIGURE 8 is a view of a means for rigidly holding the outrigger or antenna to the boat When it is in its upwardmost position.

Referring now to the drawing, FIGURE 1 shows a typical boat with an outrigger holder mounted on the side of the cabin 11. A holder 13 is mounted on the cabin top 12 to hold the outrigger 14 in a rigid relationship when it is in its uppermost position. Use of holder 13 is explained in detail below.

It is to be understood that outrigger holder 15 may be mounted on the cabin 11, on the flying bridge 16, on the deck of the boat or anywhere desired which will permit proper manipulation of the outrigger.

Outrigger holder 15 is mounted on the outside of cabin 11 while the motor mechanism 17 which controls the movement of the holder 15 is mounted on the inside of the cabin. The motor 17 is illustrated diagrammatically in the drawing as the details of the motor are not a part of my invention.

It is suggested to the art that a motor used for lowering and raising the windows of an automobile be used in order that a readily available replacement may be had in case something goes wrong with the motor. This will reduce the time and cost of repair to an absolute minimum.

Motor 17 is connected by means of gear box 18 to Worm gear 19 on shaft 20 which extends through the cabin 11. Worm gear 19 is in operable contact with gear 21 mounted on shaft 22. Gear 21 is attached to shaft 22 by means of pin 39.

Shaft 22 is the driving means for moving outriggerholding socket 23 to its various positions.

As explained above, if a simple mechanical connection such as gears 19 and 20 is used to drive the shaft 22 the location of socket 23 will determine the amount of weight and therefore the load placed upon the motor 17. Due to the fact that this load is ever changing and not constant the motor will speed up or slow down and the waving action described above will be initiated.

To compensate for the changing load, a plurality of springs cooperatively working with the gears 19 and 21 are mounted on shaft 22. 7

Spring 24 is best illustrated in FIGURE 4 and has one end 26 mounted in slot 27 of shaft 22. Spring end 28 is curved into a hook and is not permanently fastened to any member. It does, however, operate in conjunction with pin 29 in a manner set forth below. In this figure it is under slight tension, but hook 28 is free to move from pin 29 when shaft 22 is rotated counterclockwise.

Spring is best illustrated in FIGURE 5 and has one end 30 mounted in slot 27 and a hook 31 on the opposite end. Hook 31 is fastened around pin 32 and operates in the manner set forth below.

Shaft 22 also has stop member 33 mounted between gear 21 and spring 24. Stop member 33 is best illustrated in FIGURE 6 and completely surrounds shaft 22. It is fastened to shaft 22 by means of pin 38 and has a lip 34 which is used to control the amount of travel of stop member 33 and therefore controls the amount of travel of shaft 22.

Mounted in casing 35 of holder 15 are screw-threaded members 36 and 37 providing slots on the outer end for adjustment from the outside of the casing 35 by a screw driver.

Movement of the screw-threaded members 36 and 37 determines the distance lip 34 may travel.

Shaft 22 is held in position within casing 35 by means of bearing 40 on the inside wall thereof and bearing 41 mounted on the inside wall of the casing. Casing 35 is mounted on the cabin 11 by suitable fasteners 42.

FIGURE 8 illustrates a means for holding an outrigger or antenna in a more or less rigid position once it is in its uppermost or unused position as shown in FIGURE 1.

Holder 13 is shown as housing a solenoid 43 which operates catch 44 against the action of spring 45. Holder 13 also provides a cavity 46 into which catch 44 will project and into which outrigger 14 will fit.

Operation of the holder shown here is as follows: spring 45 urges catch 44 outwardly in the normal nonenergized state of the solenoid 43. As outrigger 14 is moved into cavity 46 is depresses catch 44 until it has passed into the osition shown in FIGURE 8. Catch 44 will then move to its holding position illustrated here. When the outrigger holder motor 17 is turned on solenoid 43 will be energized thereby pulling catch 44 inwardly against the force of spring 44. This permits outrigger 14 to move freely out of cavity 46. Solenoid 43 may be automatically de-energized at any desired time after outrigger 14 has left holder 13.

Operation of the outrigger or antenna holder 15 is as follows: with the holder 15 in its up or secured position illustrated in FIGURES 1 through 6, when motor 17 is turned on gear 19 turns gear 21, thereby turning shaft 22 in a counterclockwise direction. Note that in this position spring 24 is under a certain amount of tension and spring 25 is under a certain degree of tension in the opposite direction. After approximately 30 of travel, or to a position between positions A and B of FIGURE 7, spring 24 is free of tension and hook 28 will disengage from pin 29 and rotate with the shaft 22 due to the fact it is fastened thereto by means of end 26 and slot 27.

During this approximately 30 of travel, spring 25 has begun to be wound around shaft 22 due to the fact that one end 30 is fastened to the moving shaft and the hook end 31 is fastened to the casing 35 by means of pin 32.

As holder 23 is moved from position A to B to C and to D spring 25 is being wound tighter. As it is being wound tighter it has a braking effect on shaft 22 which is inclined to be speeded up due to the decreased load being placed on motor 17 due to the weight of outrigger 14. As the load due to the weight decreases, the amount of force exerted by spring 25 on shaft 22 increases thereby equalizing into a relatively constant load on motor 17. This will provide a smooth path of travel for outrigger holder 23 all the way from the up position A to the down position D when the outrigger is practically parallel with the deck of the boat 11. Note will be taken that spring 25 is wound up to its maximum at this point and the motor is choked down sutficiently so that when it hits the stop, it completely chokes the motor thereby eliminating the need for a limit switch.

During the rotation of shaft 22 lip 34 moves from the position shown in FIGURE 6 around in a counterclockwise direction until it is stopped by stop 36. This occurs when the holder is in position D.

When it is desired to raise the outrigger, motor 17 is reversed and gear 19 turns gear 21 in the opposite direction. As the weight alone would cause a great load on motor 17 spring 25 is in its wound position and therefore aids in rotating shaft 22 in a clockwise motion.

When the holder gets up to position B the amount of force exerted by spring 25 becomes less and the load due to the weight of the outrigger will become less which will cause motor 17 to speed up. However, approximately 30 before the end of the path of travel of shaft 22 hook 28 of spring 24 will engage pin 29 and during the last 30 of travel spring 24 will afford a braking action to the travel; this will gradually choke the motor down so that when it hits the stop it completely chokes the motor thereby eliminating the speed for a limit switch.

As the holder moves into position A the holder 13 will operate in the manner described above and lock outrigger 14 into position.

Although only one embodiment of my invention has been shown and described, it is understood that it is not intended to be exhaustive nor limiting of the invention, but on the contrary, is given for purposes of illustration in order that others skilled in the art may fully understand the invention and the principles thereof, and the manner of applying it in practical use so that they may modify and adapt it in various forms, each as may be best suited to the conditions of a particular use, and still be within the scope of my invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a motorized outrigger or antenna holder the combination of:

(a) a shaft extending from the holder,

(b) gear means attached to said shaft,

( c) a motor connected to said gear means,

(d) means on said shaft for limiting the rotation of said shaft,

(e) means on said shaft for aiding the motor in lowering and raising the holder,

(f) said means on said shaft for aiding the motor in lowering and raising the holder being a mechanical means,

(g) said means on said shaft for aiding the motor in lowering and raising the holder being a plurality of springs, and

(h) at least one of said springs being under tension at all times.

2. In a motorized outrigger or antenna holder the combination of:

(a) a shaft extending from the holder,

(b) gear means attached to said shaft,

(c) a motor connected to said gear means,

(d) means on said shaft for limiting the rotation of said shaft,

(e) means on said shaft for aiding the motor in lowering and raising the holder,

(f) said means on said shaft for aiding the motor in forth in claim 2 with (i) another of said springs being under tension during only a portion of the path of travel of the shaft. 4. In a motorized outrigger or antenna holder as set forth in claim 3 with (j) said spring which is under tension at all times and said spring which is under tension only a portion of the time being wound in opposite directions around the shaft.

5. In a motorized outrigger or antenna holder as set forth in claim 4 with (k) each of said springs having one end fastened to said shaft.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,249,110 12/ 1917 Kaiserman 185-2 X 1,405,572 2/ 1922 Dickinson 185-40 2,430,405 11/1947 Millns -7 X 2,911,063 11/ 1959 Wolfson -37 3,028,726 4/ 1962 Jenkins et a1. 60-7 3,144,102 8/1964 Nomann 185-40 X EDGAR W. GEOGHEGAN, Primary Examiner. 

